Dr. Manjari Singh

Brief Profile

Dr. Manjari Singh is an Associate Professor at DOSPS, SBSS at Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and studies (MRIIRS). She is an expert on contemporary West Asian (Middle Eastern) affairs, with a particular focus on the Gulf region and India-West Asia relations. She is a founding member of the Greater West Asia Forum, India (GWAFI), a Track 1.5 dialogue platform supported by the Embassy of Israel in India, which facilitates strategic engagement on regional developments.

She holds a PhD in West Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, where her research examined sustainable development in Jordan, an interest that continues to inform her broader work on political economy and development issues in West Asia. Her research spans geopolitics, regional security, India’s strategic engagement with the Gulf and wider Middle East, and evolving socio-political dynamics across the region.

Dr. Singh is the author of India and the Gulf: A Security Perspective (Routledge). She has also co-authored and co-edited several volumes on the Persian Gulf, Islamic movements, and national security challenges, contributing significantly to scholarly and policy-oriented discourse on West Asia.

In addition to her academic role, she has been actively engaged with leading Indian strategic and defence think tanks, including the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS) and the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CENJOWS), where she has contributed as a subject matter expert on West Asian geopolitics. She has also led major initiatives in collaboration with the Indian Army, including the Field Marshal Manekshaw Essay Competition and the CLAWS-MAHE Serving Army Officers Doctoral Programme.

Dr. Singh serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of World Affairs: Voice of the Global South (Sage Publications) and has previously held editorial roles with the Contemporary Review of the Middle East and the CLAWS Journal. A Fellow of the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund (SYLFF), she has published extensively in leading academic journals and policy platforms.

She is a regular commentator on West Asian affairs, frequently contributing to national and international media and participating in Track 1.5 and Track 2 dialogues where she brings nuanced insights on West Asian Geopolitics and its implications for India.